


First lesson of living with Neil Josten: when he says he is fine, he is not fine...

by FreakingOutGirl



Series: Son of a Exy! [6]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andrew becomes old man, Andrew is not at home, Domestic Fluff, Flu, Fluff, Luke takes care of Neil, M/M, Neil becomes dad, Neil is not fine, Sickfic, lessons to live with Neil Josten, sick neil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 13:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10922655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakingOutGirl/pseuds/FreakingOutGirl
Summary: “Andrew!” Luke gasped and he almost could see the man tense on the other side.“What happened? Where’s Neil?” his voice was calm, but hard and Luke sighed again. Andrew would know what to do in this situation.“He said he was fine! But he isn't!!! He was on the couch, but then he fell! And he isn’t getting up! Is Neil going to die, Andrew?” Luke was starting to hyperventilate and Andrew’s voice from the other side was the only thing keeping him from running for the hills.orIn which, Neil is sick and since Andrew is away at a game, Luke has to take care of him and learn a few very important lessons about living with Neil Josten.





	First lesson of living with Neil Josten: when he says he is fine, he is not fine...

**Author's Note:**

> This one actually, chronologically speaking, happens before all the others, just so you know...

When Neil entered the house, Luke was already in the living room, kneeling by the couch, trying to coax the cats into coming when he called.

“Hey, Luke…” Neil said, softly and Luke looked up with a grumpy face.

“They don’t like me…” he said back, as a way of hello.

“They aren’t used to you yet… It took them a bit to get used to Andrew too…” Neil replied, his eyes tired and a strange expression on his face.

“Hey, how did the game went?” Luke asked, noticing Neil’s downcast eyes.

“Oh, we won…” he stated with a small smile and Luke’s eyes squinted at his face.

“It doesn’t look like that… Are you okay?” Luke asked, rising up and finally letting the cats by themselves.

“I’m fine…” Neil said, simply. “Are you hungry? We could call for a pizza, what do you think?”

Luke peeked at Neil, once again. Something was strange with the man, but Luke couldn’t say what it was. He had been living with him and Andrew for the last five months and was still getting used to it. Andrew’s harsher nature was easier to understand, since Luke saw a lot of his own action mirroring the blonde’s, but Neil was a bit harder to understand. He had some veiled thing about him, something darker that he tried to deal with. While Andrew said this is me, deal with it, Neil said this is me, maybe you can’t deal with it…

“Yeah, that would be good… Are you sure you are fine?” Luke asked again.

“Yes, don’t worry.” Neil smiled. “I’m just tired from the game…”

“Did you score?” Luke asked eagerly and Neil showed him four fingers. “Nice!”

“I’m going to change… Can you call for the pizza? Pepperoni for me…” Neil said, before opening the bedroom door and closing it after him.

Luke watched the door for a few seconds and then walked to the phone and the takeaway menus on the fridge door.

When Neil resurfaced, wearing sweatpants and a ratty t-shirt, it was like he was even paler and the shadows under his eyes were more pronounced. Luke saw him walk slowly towards the couch and then sit like a dead weight.

When the bell sounded, Luke grabbed money from the takeaway jar (so they wouldn’t exaggerate in it) and opened the door to two mouthwatering pizza boxes. Returning with the boxes and walking through the hallway, Luke heard a sudden sound coming from the living room, like something heavy falling to the ground. He ran to find Neil on the floor, trembling and sweating.

“Neil!” Luke yelled, forgetting the boxes in a chair and running to kneel beside his head. “Neil! Neil!” he shook the older man, trying to wake him up. Putting a hand over his forehead, he realized Neil was burning up. “Oh shit! You’re sick! I don’t know what to do!”

“I’m fine…” Neil tried to say through a coughing fit.

“You are so not fine! Neil, you’re really sick and I have no idea what to do!” and then Neil’s phone started ringing and Luke scrambled to get it, sighing in relieve when he saw Andrew’s name on the screen.

“Andrew!” Luke gasped and he almost could see the man tense on the other side.

“What happened? Where’s Neil?” his voice was calm, but hard and Luke sighed again. Andrew would know what to do in this situation.

“He said he was fine! But he isn't!!! He was on the couch, but then he fell! And he isn’t getting up! Is Neil going to die, Andrew?” Luke was starting to hyperventilate and Andrew’s voice from the other side was the only thing keeping him from running for the hills.

“What are his symptoms?”

“He is burning up and coughing and sweating… He might have the flu that has been going around…” Luke tried to explain and he heard Andrew sigh.

“First lesson of living with Neil Josten: when he says he is fine, he is not fine, don’t let those blue eyes fool you! Now, go to the bathroom and grab these pills…” and Andrew started listing a bunch of medication.

“Wait! Wait! Let me get there!” Luke quickly said.

After Andrew told him what to get, Luke returned to Neil’s side.

“Put me on speaker!” Andrew ordered and Luke nodded, even if the man couldn’t see him. “Now, put the phone on the table. You have to get him back on the couch. Try to shake him up, talk with him.”

“Hey, Neil, you have to get up, okay? Andrew says you have to get on the couch…”

“’ _Drew?_ ” Neil mumbled softly and Luke nodded.

“Yeah, Andrew… You have to help me, okay, Neil? And then we can get you better! Damn, why the hell did you play if you were sick?” Luke grumbled, while he was helping Neil rising and climbing to the couch.

“Second rule of living with Neil Josten: when it’s Exy related, if he is breathing, no one can keep him away…” Andrew said from the phone and if Luke wasn’t so worried he might have thought Andrew was amused about the whole situation. He clearly wasn’t seeing the state Neil was in… or was enjoying that it was not only him dealing with his stubborn ass.

“Okay, he is on the couch…”

“Now, you have to get him to eat, so he can take the pills…” Andrew kept directing him.

“We only have pizza…” Luke looked at the boxes over the chair and sighed.

“If it’s pepperoni he will eat… I think it’s too good to think you can cook some chicken soup…”

“Yeah, so not happening, unless you want your house burned to the ground…”

Andrew sighed again and Luke could hear him messing with something on his side, and then a light click… oh, he was smoking… probably feeling more nervous than he was letting on…

Luke grabbed one slice of pizza and started moving it in front of Neil’s nose like he did with the cats and their feathery toys. Neil mumbled a little and sat straighter.

“Neil, you have to eat…”

“Open his mouth and just put it inside…” Andrew suggested and Luke glared at the phone.

“No need for that…” Neil said softly and grabbing the slice, ate it slowly.

After taking his pills, Neil laid down on the couch.

“I just need to sleep and I will be…”

“ _Do not say fine!_ ” Andrew and Luke said at the same time and Neil’s eyes opened in surprise.

“Scary…” he commented and the other two scoffed or at least that’s what it sounded like from Andrew’s side.

Luke rose from his crouched position next to couch and went in search of a cloth and cold water, letting Andrew entertain Neil for a while. Being in different teams, meant different schedules and different games away and at home… And just Luke’s luck, Andrew had to be away in a game five hundred miles away, when Neil ended up sick.

After putting the wet cloth over Neil’s forehead, Luke saw the older man sigh and relax, closing his eyes again.

“Are you sure he is not going to die? He is really pale…” Luke commented and he heard Andrew move.

“Fucking junkie… But don’t worry, pest, he is not going to die… He is way too stubborn to let me live all by myself and kick the cats out…” Andrew replied in a calm voice.

“So, that means, you wouldn’t kick me out?” Luke smiled, now calmer at Andrew’s weirdly calming words.

“You are actually good at keeping the yard clean, so...” Andrew stated and Luke actually chuckled.

“Thank you, old man…” Luke said softly and this time he was sure Andrew scoffed at the nickname. Maybe it was time to stop calling him Andrew…

“Well, I have a plane to catch! If something happens and the plane is delayed, I will let you know…” Andrew said as a goodbye.

Luke hugged himself, suddenly noticing the silence of the house without Andrew’s voice. He looked at Neil and saw that he was sleeping. Taking the cloth off and wetting it again, he put it over Neil’s forehead, hoping for the fever to go down.

Feeling his eyelids drop and too tired to move, Luke let his head fall next to Neil’s chest, on the couch and fell asleep there.

 

* * *

 

 

When Andrew entered the living room five hours later, he found Neil still on the couch and Luke passed out half on the floor, half on the couch. He let his bags fall with a crash and Luke jumped, while Neil murmured on his sleep and turned around.

“Damn, you really knocked him out…” Andrew noted and Luke rose from the floor, stretching.

“Yeah, he was really bad last night…” Luke informed and Andrew’s eyes froze on Neil’s frame.

Andrew walked towards him and bent to watch him closer.

“Hey, Junkie…” he said, touching his hair softly.

“’ _Drew_ …” Neil sighed and slowly opened his eyes.

“Fucking moron, getting yourself sick and playing…” Andrew flicked him on the forehead and Neil smiled softly.

“Luke took good care of me…” Neil informed and his eyes searched the boy. “Thank you, Luke…”

The boy blushed and scratched the back of his head shyly.

Andrew smirked at him and shook his head.

“I’m surrounded by idiots…” he commented, turning around to take his bag to his bedroom.

“I’m serious, Luke, if it wasn’t for you I don’t know what would have happened…” Neil was completely awake now, and was rising from the couch. He was still pale and a bit shaky, but looked much better than last night.

“It was the least I could do, dad…” Luke said softly and then froze.

_Oh…_

But Neil smiled fondly and didn’t say anything about Luke’s slip. And Luke actually realized that he liked how that word sounded… _Hum, dad and old man… Maybe it was really time to stop calling them Neil and Andrew…_


End file.
